Concealed sealing flap for garment openings



Sept. 28, 1965 M. Dl PAOLO 3,203,032

CONCEALED SEALING FLAP FOR GARMENT OPENINGS Filed Aug. 23, 1963 25 INVENTOR Jlan' 0 Di Pa 0 Z 0 5. 8 04 K 4 ATTORNEIYS United States Patent 3,208,082 CONCEALED SEALING FLAP FOR GARMENT OPENINGS Mario Di Paolo, Natick, Mass, assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Aug. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 304,748 1 Claim. (Cl. 2219) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government, for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalties thereon.

The invention relates to sealing flaps for garment openings and more specifically comprises an improvement over the sealing flaps disclosed in US. Patents Nos. 3,092,840 and 3,094,703. Such patents provide adequate seals for the garment openings with which they are to be used but are objectionable when used on the button flies of trousers or like plackets of skirts, as Well as with those buttoned garment openings wherein the buttons and buttonholes are concealed by a covering flap. Such objection arises because the outermost fold of the flap is exposed and gives the garment an unmilitary appearance when forming a part of a military uniform which is the type of garment with which the invention is normally intended to be used.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved sealing flap of the class described which will be substantially entirely concealed in use.

A further object is provided such a flap, which when applied will have the sole exposed portions thereof concealed by a garment portion or a garment accessory.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the invention, the shape and design of the several portions thereof, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing showing a preferred species of the invention and to the following specification wherein said invention is described and claimed.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a garment flap according to the invention in unfolded condition and apart from a garment;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a garment showing the first step in the application of the invention thereto;

FIGURE 3 is a view like FIGURE 2, showing a second step in the application of the invention to the garment, parts being broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a view like FIGURES 2 and 3 but showing the invention applied to the garment; and

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in all views, designates any suitable garment having one side of a garment fly or placket opening defined by a single ply panel 11 having a free edge 12. A vertical row of buttons 13 is attached to panel 11 in adjacent parallel relation to such free edge. The other side of the garment opening is defined by the free edges 14 and 15 of inner and outer plies 16 and 17 respectively of a two-ply panel 18. Plies 16 and 17 are secured together along the top, bottom and rear sides by any suitable means, not shown, as stitching to provide a pocket 19 having a front opening defined by the free edges 14 and 15 in a well known manner. A vertical row of buttonholes 20 are formed through the inner ply 16 for registration with all but the 3,208,082 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 ice top button of the row of buttons 13 aforesaid. The topmost button 13 is in registry with a top buttonhole 20a which is formed through both of the plies 16 and 17. Thus, when the panels 11 and 18 are secured together, all but the topmost button 13 is concealed and latter is concealed if the wearer is wearing a belt as would be the case normally if the garment 10 comprises a pair of trousers.

As so far described, the garment 10 comprises no more than a pair of conventional button-fly trousers. To make the fly opening substantially dust or vessicant proof, a sealing flap according to the invention is utilized. Such flap is generally designated at 21, is made of any suitable material, such as the material forming garment 10 and may or may not, like the garment, be treated to render it impervious or resistant to fluids, gases, or other objectionable matter. The flap 21 is generally oblong and comprises an inner portion 22, a central portion 23 and the outer portion 24. These portions are separated by fold lines 25 and 26 which become inner and outer bights respectively when the device is operatively positioned on the garment. Tab 27 extends upwardly of the inner portion 22 and is formed with a buttonhole 28. Central portion 23 is formed with a vertical row of spaced and aligned buttonholes 29 which are spaced and positioned to register with the buttons 13 when in use. The outer flap portion 24 is formed with two upper and lower buttonholes 30, 31.

As is apparent from FIGURE 2, the inner flap portion 22 plus tab 27 is longer than the fly opening by the height of the tab 27. In like manner, the central portion 23 has a height substantially equal to the length of the fly opening. Outer flap portion 24 is somewhat shorter than the central portion 23 and merges therewith at the top and bottom thereof with curvedly inclined or bevelled edges 32 and 33 respectively.

In use, and as best seen in FIGURE 2, the inner flap portion 22 is disposed behind the inner panel portion 11 and is folded around the free edge 12 thereof to form the inner bight 25. Buttons 13 are now buttoned to the central flap portion 23 by means of the buttonholes 29. The inner ply 16 of the outer panel 18, FIGURE 3, is now buttoned to the buttons 13 by means of the buttonholes 20 in the usual manner. The outer portion 24 of the flap is now folded around the free edge 14 to form the outer bight 26 and is tucked into pocket 19. This operation is facilitated by the truncated formation of the outer flap portion 24 which is achieved by the bevelled edges 32 and 33. Outer portion 24 is secured in pocket 19 by buttoning the buttonholes 30, 31 to ap propriate buttons 13 with which they are registered, in this instance the second button from the top and the lowermost button 13. Obviously, additional buttonholes could be formed through the outer flap portion 24 to accommodate all but the topmost button 13. A single buttonhole or other means could be substituted. However, I have found that the two buttonholes 30, and 31 adequately secure the flap portion 24 in the pocket 19 where it is substantially entirely concealed, see FIGURE 4. The tab 27 is now folded over the top of the but toned fly to seal this portion of the joint and is secured in position by buttoning the topmost button 13 through the buttonhole 28 therein. If the garment 10 is a pair of mens trousers, as would normally be the case, tab 27, when secured as aforesaid would be covered and thereby concealed by the wearers belt, not shown, in a manner readily understood. Likewise, if the flap 21 were elongated to be applied to that type of shirt, jacket, coat or the like having the outer panel of the closure formed with an open pocket like that 19 to conceal the buttons, the tab 27 would be substantially covered and concealed -in use;

other forms and expressions.

3. .either by the. ,wearers tie or the tabs of the collar.. It is only when the device is used with an exposed button closure that substantially any part of the device is visible Thus, the device is normally entirely concealed when in use.

While there has been shown and described what is now thought to be a preferred species of the invention, it should be understood that the same is susceptible of Therefore, the invention is not considered to be limited to the precise structure and design shown and described hereinabove and claimed in my copending application which matured into US. Design Letters Patent, Number 198,015 dated April 21, 1964, but is only limited to structures and designs falling within the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

The combination with a nether garment having a button fly or the like comprising an inner fly including a free edge having a row of buttons thereon exteriorly thereof, an outer fly comprising two plies of material secured together at the top, bottom and rear sides to provide free edges defining the mouth of an open pocket, and a row of buttonholes formed through the inner ply of said outer fly for registry with said row of buttons and a buttonhole through both of said inner and outer flies in registry with the topmost button; of a sealing flap for said fly of flexible sheet material comprising an 4- inner flap portion. having an integral tab said tab having a buttonhole therethrough, said inner flap being of a height greater than that of said fly by the height of the tab, a central portion having a height substantially equal to that of the fly and including a row of buttonholes formed therethrough in registry with said row of buttons, an outer flap portion of a height less than that of said central portion and having a substantially straight outer edge which merges at the top and bottom thereof with curvedly inclined edges, said outer flap having at least two buttonholes formed therethrough in registry with two of said buttons for attachment thereto, said inner flap being folded behind said central portion to provide an inner bight receiving said free edge of said inner fly, said outer flap portion being folded over said central portion to provide an outer bight receiving said edge of said inner ply of said outer fly, and said outer flap portion being received in said pocket and said tab folding over the closed garment fly with its buttonhole engaged .on the topmost button.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,375,779 5/45 Freedman 2-128 3,092,840 6/63 Roberts 2--23 X 3,094,703 6/63 Bailey 2219 X JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

